Los Angeles, CA — Independents captured 60 nominations in feature categories during this morning’s announcement of contenders for the 84th Academy Awards®, according to the Independent Film & Television Alliance® (IFTA®).

(*Please note, companies listed include Independent companies involved in the film which are also IFTA Member companies)

Best Picture The Artist (Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company) Hugo (GK Films) Midnight in ParisThe Tree of Life (Summit Entertainment)

For more than 30 years, IFTA Members have produced, distributed and financed many of the world's most prominent films, 19 of which have won the Academy Award® for “Best Picture” since 1980, most recently The King’s Speech (The Weinstein Company), The Hurt Locker (Voltage Pictures and Summit Entertainment) and Slumdog Millionaire (Pathé International).

About The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA)

The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) is the global trade association of the independent motion picture and television programming industry. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the organization represents and provides significant entertainment industry services to more than 150 member companies from 23 countries, consisting of independent production and distribution companies, sales agents, television companies, studio-affiliated companies, and financial institutions engaged in content finance.

Collectively, the Independent Film & Television Alliance’s members produce more than 400 independent films and countless hours of television programming each year and generate more than $4 billion in distribution revenues annually. The organization’s premiere event, the American Film Market, held in conjunction with AFI FEST, takes place every year in November in Santa Monica. As the voice and advocate for the independent film and television industry worldwide, the Alliance speaks out on matters of critical importance and, where appropriate, actively lobbies governments around the world in regard to measures directly affecting the independent industry. For more information on IFTA and the American Film Market, please visit www.ifta-online.org.

Jennifer Wolfe is Director of News & Content at Animation World Network.